THE government’s transport secretary has praised the planned £371 million A3 tunnel for saving the area from years of “traffic blight”.

MP Douglas Alexander visited the construction site on Monday this week, where work is under way to divert the notorious Hindhead traffic black spot under the devil’s punchbowl and remove 30,000 vehicles a day from the area.

Poul Christensen, prospective chairman of the Hindhead Together partnership and deputy chair of Natural England, welcomed Mr Alexander to Hindhead and explained the scheme and its enormous importance to the area.

“This is one of the most dramatic and inspirational landscapes in the South East for nature conservation, recreation and tourism,” he said.

“It is environmentally sensitive due to the ground nesting birds that depend upon it and this is one of the main reasons why the partners are working to optimise the community, economic, ecological and landscape benefits from the scheme.”

Some of the benefits being pursued by the Hindhead Together partnership include exploring new opportunities for access and tourism, developing the economic role of Hindhead, protecting the ecology of the wider Hindhead Commons and enhancing the centre of Hindhead.

Mr Christensen also told the MP the scheme would “not only protect and restore this beautiful landscape, but also cut congestion in Hindhead and improve journeys on the vital Portsmouth to London route”.

A better habitat has also been promised for wildlife, including rare and protected species such as the nightjar and woodlark, as a result of the work.

South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt also joined Mr Alexander at the Devil’s Punchbowl on Monday to view the plans for the tunnel and to speak to local stakeholders, including representatives from the National Trust, SEERA, SEEDA, GOSE, and Waverley Borough Council.

Speaking after the visit, Mr Hunt said: “I am delighted to see work finally well under way on the A3 Tunnel.

Once the scheme is completed, Hindhead can go back to being a pleasant rural village instead of a commuter thoroughfare.

“As a result of the invaluable work being done by Hindhead Together, the restoration of the Devil’s Punchbowl to its full glory will also encourage more visitors and bring a much-needed boost to the local economy.

“Now Douglas Alexander has seen it for himself, I hope he makes sure the project is completed before the London 2012 Olympics.”

The A3 Hindhead road project will complete the dual carriageway link between London and Portsmouth.

An integral part of the scheme is to construct a 1.9km twin-bore tunnel and to close and re-landscape the existing A3 road.

More than 400 hectares of open access heathland will then be freed from the impact of the A3 and, managed by the National Trust, will benefit from landscape, nature conservation and recreational improvements.